Our big new protection and mental health project begins
We’ve just begun another major new project which will be supporting vulnerable people in urban locations around Seje, Sharya, Khanke and Derabon in order to provide better access to protection services and improve their overall quality of life.
The project is being delivered in partnership with CARE through funding from European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), and will include case management and referrals to help displaced beneficiaries reach the services they need, as well as mental health support. We’ll also be raising community awareness of their fundamental rights and protection issues.
Additionally, we’ll be providing ‘cash for protection’ payments, to ensure those who are most critically in need can access the relevant support services.
So far, the start of the project has seen us training new staff members on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (PSEA), Protection Principles, Safeguarding and our organisational Code of Conduct. You can see many of these activities taking place in these photos.
The project aims to support up to 600 GBV survivors, as well as 200 at-risk children who have suffered from neglect, violence or abuse. Our case workers will identify those who need referrals through legal representation, documentation and consultation, while others will be referred for medical attention or livelihoods opportunities.
Emergency cash assistance is likely to go to women who are unable to meet the cost of basic essentials, such as rent, medical equipment or transportation fees.
Up to 600 additional beneficiaries will participate in structured psychosocial support (PSS) and community activities, while trained mobile teams and local women’s committees will reach around 9,000 people through awareness-raising sessions, campaigns and outreach. This will cover topics such as early marriage, GBV and gender equality. We’ll also employ CARE’s context-tailored approach to engaging men and boys, enhancing the population’s knowledge of equitable gender norms and the harmful impacts of toxic masculinity and violence.
We’re so pleased to be partnering again with CARE Iraq, who have been implementing integrated multi-sectoral emergency and transitional aid programmes in the region since 2014.
It promises to be a hugely important and much-needed project, and we’ll keep you posted on our progress both here on our blog and across our socials…
